Self-signaling device for railroads.



R. E. LITTLEPAGE. SELF SIGNALING DEVICE FOR RAILROADS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1915- Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

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SELF SIGNALING DEVICE FOR RAILROADS- APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, I915.

' Patented Apr. 11,1916.

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P A R G O N A w. m B M u L o c E n T UNITED srnrns FATE orrro RUFUS E. LITTLEPAGE, OF PROSPECT, TEXAS, ASSIGN'OR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, OF ONE-HALF TO :JNO. E. WHEELER, 0]? PROSPECT, TEXAS.

SELF-SIGNALING- DEVICE FOR RAILROADS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

Application filed February 6, 1915. Serial No. 6,545.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUFUS E. LI'rTLErAeE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Prospect, in the county of Clay and State of TeXas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Self-Signaling Devices for Railroads, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to a self-signaling device for railroads and has for its principal object the production of a simple and eflicient means for automatically ringing a bell carried within the cab of an engine for signaling to the engineer provided the engineer fails to notice the prescribed lock signal of an ordinary railroad and allows his train to proceed until the signaling device is operated.

Another object of this invention is the production of a self-signaling device for railroads in which the bell is normally retained in one position but which is so formed as to operate for allowing the bell to swing when the operating mechanism comes into engagement with the track instrument.v

A still further object of this invention is the production of a self signaling device for railroads in which there is provided an operating lever carried by the cab, this operating lever being pivotally mounted off-center so as to normally remain in one position for preventing the bell carried within tlie engine cab from ringing and at the same time hold the pendulum from swinging.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists of certain novel combinations constructions and arrangements of parts as will be hereinafter fully claimed and described.

In the accompanying drawing like characters of reference indicate like views of the several parts wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an engine or locomotive, showing the signaling device carried thereby in position for use. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the locomotive showing the signaling device mounted there'- on. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of a cab of a locomotive showing the portions of the signaling device carried thereby. Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cletailed perspective view of the bumper of the engine showing the pivotally. mounted pendulumsupported thereon. Fig. o isfan inverted detailed perspective view of the pivotally mounted operating lever. Fig. 6 is a detailed perspective view of one of the brackets used for pivotally supporting the operating lever. Fig. 7 is a transverse sectional view through the pivot portions of the operating lever and brackets. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of the cab illustrating the manner in which the bell 1s supported. Fig. 9 is a detailed perspectlve .VlGW of the track instrument. Fig. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view, partly in elevation, illustrating the manner in which the track; instrument is secured to a rail.

Feferrmg to the accompanying drawings by numerals 1 indicates in general a locomotlve having the usual cab 2. The top 8 of the cab 2 is adapted to carry a pair of brackets, one of which is disclosed in Fig. 6. Each bracket comprises a flat body 4 in Whlch there is formed the apertures 5 through which suitable securing means 6, such for instance as bolts or screws, may pass for holding the brackets in engagement with the top 3 of the cab. Each bracket is twisted intermediate its ends as shown at 7 so as to provide a supporting body 8 in which'there is formed an opening 9. When these brackets are fixedly secured upon the top 3 of the cab 2, the supporting bodies 8 will extend in parallel spaced relation relative to each other.' The operating lever 10 is provided with the journal pins 11 extending from its side edges as clearly shown in Fig. '5. These journal pins 11 are adapted to be positioned within the openings 9 formed in the supporting bodies 8 of the brackets whereby the lever may easily pivot when desired. This lever 10 is provided adjacent one end with the thickened portion 12 so as to normally assist in retaining the bracket .in a substantially horizontal position. It will further be noted that the j ournal pins 11 are carried by the lever so as topivotally support the same off-center and owing to the additional weight adjacent one end .of this lever any danger of the lever accidentally swinging downwardly at its outer end is prevented.

i The hanger strips 13 are carried within the cab 2 and are secured to the top thereof by means of the securing members 14 passing through the laterally extending end 15 of the strips 13. These strips are secured to the top3 in parallel. spaced relation so asto carry the pivot members 16 secured to the bell 17. By securing the bell in this manner, it will be seen that the same will be allowed to freely swing when it is released or when it is actuated. This bell is provided with an eye 13 secured upon its upper end and to this eye there is secured a rope 19. This rope 19 extends through the open ing'2O formed in the forward portion of the cab 2 so as to be secured to the eye 21 car ried adjacent the forward end of the lever 10. The lever 10 will normally assume the position shown in Fig. 3 thereby drawing upon the rope 19. By drawing upon this rope, it will be seen that the bell will be held to one side and therefore will not ring. As soon however as the lever 10 is swung downwardly, it will allow the rope 19 to become slack and the bell. will swing to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. This movement of the bell will cause the 4 same to ring and give a signal to the engineer within the cab 2. For the purpose of actuating this lever, the bumper 22 carried by the forward portion of the locomotive 1 is provided with a pivot bolt 23. The pendulum 24 is provided with a central bearing portion 25 and this central bearing portion is pivotally carried by the bolt 23. In order to normally hold this pendulum 24 in a vertical position, the lower end thereof is provided with a weight 26. The upper end of this pendulum however is provided with an eye 27. A cable 28 is secured to this eye 27 and this cable 28 extends rearwardly and upwardly as clearly shown in Fig. 1 so as to be attached to the eye 29 carried by the lever 10 ata point in the rear of the pivot portions thereof. It will be seen that when the pendulum 24 is engaged by a track instrument and the weight 26 is swung rearwardly the upper end of the pendulum will be swung forwardly. This action will draw upon the cable 28 and thereby cause the cable to swing the lever 10 upwardly atits rear end and downwardly at its forward end by means of the eye 29 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. This action as before described will allow the rope 19 to become slack and the bell 17 to ring for giving a signal.

For the purpose of preventing the lever 10 from swinging too far when actuated by the cable 28, there is provided a short rope 30 which is secured at one end to the eye 31 supported by the lower portion of the lever 10 and the opposite end to the eye 32 carried by the top 3 of the cab 2. When the lever is swung for a distance this rope 30 may check its movement and prevent the same from accidental injury owing to the forceful movement with which the same is thrown.

In order to operate the signaling device there is provided a track instrument which comprises a base 33 having one end thereof lum 24 as shown in Fig. 2. The opposite end of the base 33 extends upwardly as shown at 36 and terminates in a rectangular spring body 37. The L-shaped bracket 38 is held in engagement with the base 33 by means of the rivets 39 and through the up- 5 per end of this bracket 38 a set screw 40 passes. These set screws 40 are adapted to extend in the direction of the body 37 so as to allow the base 33 to be positioned be neath a rail as indicated at 41 in Fig. 10 while the body 37 will engage one side of the web of the rail while the set screws 40 will engage the other side thereof for positively binding the track instrument in engagement with a rail at a desired point. passes over the rails the weight 26 of the pendulum 24 will come into engagement with the plate 35 and thereby cause the pendulum to draw upon the cable 28 for operating the signaling device. It is of course obvious that since the pendulum 24 is pivotally secured to the bumper 2 2, the locomotive may back as where it is entering a switch at which time the plate 35 may swing the pendulum without giving a signal and at this time the pendulum will be swung so as to cause the upper portion thereof to swing rearwardly.

It will also be seen that the bumper 22 is adapted to support the pilot 42 having a curved lower base portion 43. Adjacent this base portion there are provided a plurality of curved prongs 44 which are positioned at a spaced distance apart and form a continuation of the base portion 43 and it therefore when an obstacle is engaged by the base of the pilot the curved construction thereof will cause the obstacle to move upwardly very quickly coming into engagement with the curved prongs 44. These prongs are formed of a somewhat resilient metal and will therefore, owing to their curved construction, throw the obstacle to one side of the track.

As the locomotive From the foregoing description it will be l U seen that a very simple and eflicient signaling device for railroads has been produced wherein the device will normally remain inoperative but upon its engaging a track in strument it will be so actuated as to allow the bell carried within the cab to be swung for ringing and giving a desired signal to the engineer.

What I claim is 1. In a signal for locomotives, the combination of a pair of parallel brackets, said brackets being adapted to be carried by the cab of a locomotive, a lever pivotally mounted between said brackets off-center, said lever having a weighted rear end, a bell adapted to be pivotally mounted. within a locomotive cab, a rope connected to said bell and to the forward end of said lever, said rope being of such length as to hold said bell in a tilted position when said lever is retained in a substantially horizontal plane .by the weighted end thereof, means for swinging the weighted end of said lever upwardly and the forward end thereof downwardly, whereby said rope will become slack, thereby allowing said bell to swing freely for giving a signal.

2. In a signal for locomotives, the combination of a lever having a weighted rear end, means for pivotally securing said lever offcenter, a bell adapted to be carried within the cab of a locomotive, a rope connected to the forward end of said lever and to said bell for holding said bell in a tilted position as long as the weighted end of said lever retains said lever in a substantially horizontal plane, and means for swinging the weighted end of said lever upwardly and the forward end thereof downwardly, whereby the rope will become slack thereby allowing the bell to swing for giving a signal.

3. In a signal for locomotives, the combination of a lever having a weighted rear end, means for pivotally securing said lever off-center, a bell adapted to be carried within the cab of a locomotive, a rope connected to the forward end of said lever and to said bell for holding said bell in a tilted position as long as the weighted end of said lever retains said lever in a substantially horizontal plane, a pivotally mounted pendulum adapted to be carried by the pilot of a locomotive, a cable connected to the upper end of said pendulum and to said lever at a point in the rear of the pivot portion thereof, whereby when said pendulum is swung rearwardly said cable will draw upon said lever so as to swing the forward end thereof downwardly, thereby allowing said rope to become slack for allowing said bell to swing for giving a signal.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses. I

RUFUS E. LITTLEPAGE. Witnesses:

J. C. LooNEY, J. G. MOLAUGHLIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

